The Views of Young Guatemalans on How to End Gang Violence

A brutal civil war may have formally ended in 1996, but insecurity and violence characterise daily life in ‘post-conflict’ Guatemala. Repressive attempts to control the violence caused by youth gangs have failed. It is time the views of young people were heard in debates on gang violence.

Known in Guatemala as maras, youth gangs are a very visible form of ‘post-conflict’ violence. The violence of the gangs varies a lot but could include pick-pocketing, robbery, kidnapping, rape, vandalism and to some extent arms and drug trafficking. Also, when maras clash over territory, non-gang members are often caught in the crossfire. Maras exercise extreme control of their members. Those who attempt to leave may be killed, along with innocent family members. In this environment, firearms are the most common cause of death for 15-24 year old Guatemalans.

A report from Queen Mary, University of London, UK looks at how young Guatemalans perceive youth gangs. Interviews showed that most members do not join a mara out of desire to engage in violence. They value the friendship, protection, unity and solidarity that membership brings in communities where families have broken down and state institutions have failed. High unemployment and lack of education makes joining a mara a rational career move.

National youth policy in Guatemala not only tends to regard young people as passive beneficiaries of services but also views them as potential criminals and targets of repression. Policymakers have not taken into account the ability of young people to act positively, nor have they recognised their rights. Until this is addressed, Guatemalan youth are likely to continue to be drawn to gangs.

Asked for their views on solutions to gang culture, young people indicated:

• a general lack of confidence in the ability of the police to provide security
• widespread dissatisfaction with the perceived corruption and inefficiency of all Guatemalan state institutions
• the best way to combat gangs is to support alternative organisations for young people
• recognition of the role played by evangelical Protestants in providing an alternative to gangs.

Pentecostalism has taken deep root in the urban areas of a country that was once almost exclusively Catholic. Churches provide a self-supporting social structure with strict shared expectations – indeed, in this sense, they are comparable to maras.

The author stresses the need to:

• recognise what young people may find attractive about gangs or formal organisations
• identify the barriers that prevent young people from joining church-based or other youth organisations
• stop regarding yong people as potential criminals, but instead take a wide-ranging and committed approach to youth welfare
• address the male bias that is apparent in some youth organisations
• support the work of agencies engaged in rehabilitating gang members
• establish networks of civil society groups and state agencies through which young people are able to express their preferences and priorities.

[Source: id21]